In the near future, there will be no more scooters whizzing on pavements or in prohibited areas: the number one European operator of sharing scooters, Voi Technology (has more than 6 million users and has made over 60 million rides) , in fact, is the first in the world to experiment with computer vision on scooters in the British city of Northampton. A technology developed by “Luna”, a micromobility technological startup, which uses smart cameras on board the scooters to recognize if the scooter is on a sidewalk, a cycle path or a road, and can guide users towards ” virtual docks “where it is allowed to park the scooter.
The data acquired by the 100 cameras positioned on the Voi scooters in Northampton will allow Luna’s artificial intelligence to become increasingly precise and interpret road conditions, improving the algorithm.
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As we said, the trial has already started, but before distribution in Northampton at the end of this month, the Voi scooters equipped with the new technology were tested on the streets of Stockholm to demonstrate the potential of the technology that will increase the safety of the scooters. The technology will also provide tools to identify areas of the city that are problematic for easy micro-mobility and thereby help cities to develop adequate infrastructure.
The experimentation will take place in two phases. In the first, a group of users will be identified who will test computer vision technology on the road to collect visual information in real time on the environment that the scooter is going through: Luna’s technology will also be able to detect the surface on which it is moving. the scooter, such as a cycle path, sidewalk or road, and alert with an audible alarm to alert the user of the infringement.
“In the second phase of the experimentation – they explain to Voi Technology – about 100 cameras will be installed on the fleet of scooters available in Northampton. In addition to the audible warning, this pilot phase will explore the potential to automatically slow scooters if inappropriate driving on pavements or in heavily pedestrianized areas is detected. By 2022, Luna expects to be able to integrate its camera technology directly onto the scooters. “
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